A step towards possible preservation of a pristine watershed in Northern Manitoba was taken Dec. 14 when the federal and provincial governments announced that they would work with area First Nations to examine the feasibility of protecting the Seal River watershed.
One of two major Northern Manitoba rivers that are entirely free-flowing, the Seal River flows through portions of the traditional territory of Sayisi Dene First Nation, Northlands Denesuline First Nation, Barren Lands First Nation and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. The Seal River Watershed Alliance was formed by these First Nations to work towards protecting their ancestral lands, a project that received a three-year government grant in the summer of 2019.
Speaking at a press conference during the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, where the initiative was announced, Seal River watershed Alliance executive director Stephanie Thorassie said protected status for the area, which covers about 50,000 square kilometres undisturbed by roads or hydroelectric development would be “a gift to the world.”
Establishing a protected area using a new model that recognizes traditional Indigenous knowledge and their history as stewards of the land that predates European contact would also be an improvement on the practices of the past that have impacted Northern Manitoba First Nations, she said.
“Creating the Seal River Watershed Indigenous protected area will help ensure the history of relocation and imposed decision-making remains in the past,” Thorassie said.
Alliance founder and senior advisor Ernie Bussidor said having First Nations people take the lead on this preservation project is a “wonderful concept”
“Pristine wilderness is what’s needed in this world that has very little of it and we possess a nice, beautiful watershed that’s worthy of protecting and preserving for future generations,” he said Dec. 14.
How such a protected area would be funded and governed are questions for the future, said federal Environment Minister Steven Guillbeault. The focus of the feasibility study is to develop an overall protected area concept and explore the possibility of establishing a national park in the Seal River watershed, as well as an Indigenous protected area. Utilizing public consultations in the area and incorporating traditional knowledge, the study will consider the social, environmental and economic benefits and impacts of establishing a protected area. It will also include geoscience work by the federal government and the Manitoba Geological Survey to develop a better understanding of the geological formations that created the existing surface conditions.
“The Indigenous are the first custodians of land and water and working together we’ll be able to protect these resources,” said Guillbeault, noting that the watershed is one of the richest carbon sinks in the world and that protecting it would add a half of a percentage point of protected area toward Canada’s goal of protecting 30 per cent of its territory by 2030. “It shows what we can do and achieve to protect nature when we’re working together.”
The region around the Seal River, which is named for its large population of harbour seals that can found as far as 200 kilometres inland from where the river enters Hudson Bay, is home to at least 22 known species at risk, such as wolverines, polar bears, grizzly bears, barren-ground caribou, orcas and olive-sided flycatchers.
“The Seal River watershed is a truly special place as one of the world’s largest remaining ecologically intact watersheds,” said Manitoba Environment Minister Jeff Wharton. “It provides an important breeding and migratory habitat for numerous mammals and other wildlife, highlighting our rich biodiversity.”
